Hinata's Strength
by snowbengal
Summary: Hinata feels she must get stronger to protect Naruto. She goes through intense training to succeed. Rated T for a small amount of swear words. NaruHina and Hinata centered. Please review! This is my first Naruto story
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Hinata's Resolve

_Pound. Pound. Pound. _Hinata bent over her knees panting, the limp strands of her indigo hair creating a silky curtain over her face. The large tree in front of her bore traces of her blood and her hands were bleeding. Hinata slowly got up and put her clenched fist on the tree, resting her throbbing head on her fist. _Why, why am I so weak? _A series of memories ran through her head.

_She lay on the floor of the sparring dojo, Hanabi stood above her panting. Hinata struggled to get up but she gave up, flopping back as Hanabi narrowed her eyes that were veined with the Byakugan. _

_ "Hinata. Hanabi, who is five years your junior has defeated you in taijutsu. Get out of my sight you weakling, you make me sick. You shame the pure blood of the Hyugas." Hiashi said coldly. Hinata bowed, and got up shakily, pressing her hands against the rough wooden floors. Unnoticed a tear fell, creating a perfect shining circle at the site of Hinata's shame. As she closed the rice paper paneled door behind she heard Hiashi say," Hanabi, don't follow the ways of your weak sister, for you have more talent and strength. You are the true heiress to the Hyuga clan. Hinata's eyes widened in shock and she pelted down the hallways of the Hyuga household where she enfolded herself in her arms against the wall of the courtyard, silently crying._

_ Hinata remembered her fight with Neji, how she had barely landed a blow on his body. How he had mocked her and called her dropout and a failure as he punched her backwards._

_Another memory of Pain resurfaced. A sharp black chakra rod skewered her and she silently yelled in agony as she stared into Naruto's horror-filled face. Her eyes were fixed on him as the scope of her vision became more and more smothered with black. Naruto-kun…I couldn't protect you. I failed…_

Hinata opened her eyes and clenched her teeth together. _I'll never fail to protect you again Naruto-kun! _She slammed her fist into the tree and felt a strange satisfaction in hearing it groan and topple over. She had never been able to knock the tree down without chakra before. Hinata had thrown herself back into training after Naruto had defeated Pain.

_I will get stronger. I will get stronger._ Hinata chanted to herself as she stepped onto a small pond and closed her eyes. _Byakugan!_ She opened her eyes and began firing needles of chakra at the various targets that she had hung around the trees at various distances.

One, two, three, four, five, six…Hinata counted as she maintained a flowing orb of water around. The strain was immense. In the end, she hit eight of the fifteen targets. _Damn it, that's not good enough._ Hinata thought, clenching her fists enough and felt the orb of water breaking around her, a few droplets landed on her white face like tears. She slowly wiped them off, remembering all the times she had cried at her own weakness. _That won't happen anymore. I swear it! _She took out a kunai and nicked her hand. Raising her bloody hand to the white moon that glimmered above her, she thought_, I will become strong enough. _

Slowly, she picked up the fallen targets and quietly hid them behind a bush before setting off back towards the Hyuga household. She concentrated on making her movements smooth and quiet and restricting the chakra flow from her feet. The trees swished softly around her, blowing her blue hair in strands across her lavender eyes. Looking at the falling leaves that twirled to the ground, she quickly began running as fast as she could to retrieve them. Hinata pumped chakra back down to her legs and began speeding back and forth._ I will try to get 20!_

In the end, she got nine. Slowly, Hinata let the leaves slide out of her hands as she continued up the path to her home. Gently sliding in, in tiptoed down the moon-splashed halls where she stopped at Hanabi's room. Softly opening the door, she crept to Hanabi's bedside and looked down at the face of her little sister.

Hanabi's face was peaceful and open which was rare because she usually wore a guarded expression like her father. Hinata smoothed a strand of brown hair from Hanabi's forehead and kissed her cheek. Ghosting out of Hanabi's room she thought about Hanabi's immense strength._ I will surpass Neji-nii-san and my dear little sister so that I can protect Naruto-kun. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Two weeks later…_

Hinata walked through a forest path illuminated by moonlight and garlanded with white petals. A gentle breeze was winding its way through the dark branches above her. Hinata closed her silvery-lavender eyes and let the sweet scent of the snowy flowers fill her nose as her blue hair fluttered on the breeze. White petals drifted silently down and touched her face gently as she opened her eyes and stared at the petals gilded by the cool moonlight.

_ Naruto-kun…if only you were here to hold my hand and walk with me. I promise one day, that I will not be watching you from the shadows. I will walk with you in the light of the moon._

Hinata looked back at the avenues of the flowering trees as she reached a small secluded clearing strewn with big boulders carved in the shape of dummies. As with the other nights, the rock had the tenketsu networks and pressure points painted in red. Without activating her Byakugan and closing her eyes, Hinata assumed her Gentle Fist Stance in front of rock.

"Haaaaaaaaa!" Hinata smashed the rock repeatedly, concentrating on the rhythm of her fists and the pain in her knuckles. Keeping her eyes closed, she aimed for the tenketsu and pressure points, injecting her chakra into the solid rock.

"Haaaaaaaa!" Hinata reeled backwards and fell to her knees, her shoulders heaving and blood dripping from her knuckles. The dummy in front of her was riddled with crater-like holes. However, only one of the tenketsu had been hit and only four pressure points had been hit as well. _I must keep going!_ Hinata shakily got to her feet and went into the Gentle Fist stance yet again as she repeatedly pummeled the stone in front of her with her Byakugan deactivated, eyes closed. Hinata's hair rippled around her in a glossy indigo curtain as she spun and kicked at the crude dummy before her. Drops of blood spun from her knuckles like rubies as they spattered against the dummy in front of Hinata.

Hinata collapsed sideways onto the grass breathing heavily. The stone had more pressure points and tenketsu hit but some of the holes were too shallow. Hinata growled and launched herself at the stone, thrusting and kicking at the dummy with her eyes still closed. With an extra burst of chakra, she launched the dummy into the air. It fell with dull _thunk_, and crumpled into dust. Hinata opened her eyes as she rested her hands on her knees and wiped the sweat away from her eyes.

She turned to the next dummy, her face set into a fierce expression. Again, the sound of her hands and feet and cracking stone echoed throughout the clearing. Finally, Hinata finished all twenty dummies; all of them lay on the ground with increasingly larger and deeper holes in the tenketsu and pressure points. Hinata was on all fours, panting heavily but struggled up and staggered to the uncarved boulders. She pulled herself up, her arms trembling as she threw her arm against the boulder with an audible crack.

Hinata bit her lip with pain but continued to pound away at the unrelenting rock without using chakra. The stone didn't budge. Exhausted, Hinata fell against the boulder and slid sideways onto the ground. A few stray petals blew swirled onto her face as she lay on the ground, blood pooling from her scraped knuckles.


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata opened her eyes as she heard the warbling trills of early morning birds. Gingerly, she sat up and examined her hand. The scrapes were already scabbing over. She clenched her fist and smiled at the pale sun rays that knit themselves through the flowering trees.

_Three months later…_

Sakura Haruno yawned and tied on her head protector, feeling its familiar weight on her head. Stretching, she brushed her teeth and combed out her pink hair, watching her tresses glint in the mirror. The doorbell rang as Sakura yawned again.

"I'm coming." Sakura slowly made her way to the door and unlocked it. Hinata Hyuga smiled shyly at her.

"G-good morning, Sakura-chan. I didn't w-wake you did I?"

"No, of course not Hinata-chan. Come in." Sakura led Hinata to the kitchen and they sat down together. Sakura brought two warm cups of tea to the table. "Here you go. So what's up Hinata-chan?"

"U-um…" Hinata blushed, the color fanning against her ivory-pale cheeks as she nervously pushed her fingers together. "I….I was w-wondering if you could teach me medical ninjutsu as well as your evasion ability." Sakura noted that Hinata had stopped stuttering with her last few words."I-I've been training with Lee-san lately."

"What? Lee-san? Why? You already posses the Gentle Fist, why would you need to study more taijutsu?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Oh, n-no. I've been trying to increase my speed with L-Lee-san. He said it was okay for me to train on my own now." Hinata shifted slightly. Sakura heard the faint clink of metal.

_Weights?_ She mused.

"So Sakura-chan, will you teach me?"

"Oh, ah of course. But I'm wondering, why the sudden training now?"

Hinata lowered her eyes for a second, gripping her tea cup tightly. Sakura heard a tiny crack as the cup fractured a little.

"Ahh…Gomen S-Sakura-chan." Hinata apologized, blushing rosily again.

"Don't worry, just leave it."

Hinata nodded gratefully as she said." W-well, I want to become stronger for….for Naruto-kun." Hinata stared at her interlocked fingers.

After an awkward silence, Sakura looked at Hinata and said firmly," All right, you can become my student. You do seem to have a lot of potential."


	4. Chapter 4

The dead fish lay limply on the black, healing kanji on the creamy white scroll. Hinata concentrated fiercely as an emerald green chakra began to flow from her hands and envelop the fish.

Sakura watched intently, her pale green eyes focused on the fish as the chakra from Hinata pulsed slightly. The two kunoichi were standing on the field where Tsunade had trained Sakura. After a second, the fish began to flop and thrash, its heaving gills quivering from lack of water. Hinata looked up at Sakura, her ivory face gleaming with satisfaction. Sakura noticed something in Hinata's beaming face that she had never seen before: a hint of self-pride.

"Nice one, Hinata-chan!" Sakura exclaimed. A soft blush colored Hinata's cheeks as she smiled shyly at her medic friend.

"It's all th-thanks to you Sakura-chan. Y-you're a wonderful t-teacher." Sakura winked.

"All right, you seem to be good with the medical ninjutsu. You have some great chakra control. Now let's go to evasion practice. I don't think your taijutsu needs anything, unless you want to learn more?" Sakura asked

"No, I can s-see how you use your ch-chakra to do your specific style of t-taijutsu." Hinata replied." Actually, I th-think I can do it without th-the use of chakra." Turning, she struck the ground with her fist, her blue hair flying upwards from the impact. Sakura watched in amazement as the green ground ruptured and cracked in the Cherry Blossom form around Hinata's fist.

_You've changed a lot Hinata, from the frail girl who always used to cry._ Sakura thought._ I always saw you, standing in the corner by yourself, watching Naruto._ Hinata turned with a smile towards Sakura, waiting for her response.

"You obviously don't need anymore taijutsu training. How did you manage to develop that amount of power?" _She's almost as good as Tsunade._

"O-oh, I trained by my-myself for a long t-time. I trained with trees and r-rocks."

"Well, you're off to a good start. Now then, are you ready for your evasion training?" Sakura asked, hefting an enormous bag that bulged with hidden objects.

"H-hui." Hinata said nervously, eyeing the bag apprehensively.

"Ok. So the instructions are simple. I'll be launching objects at you and they can be anything from blunt kunai and shruiken to baseballs. The first few times, I'll let you use your Byakugan to help but no jutsus are allowed. As you get better, I'll be joining in to spar with you. Understand?"

Hinata nodded.

"Good, let's get started."

Hinata activated her Byakugan and shifted back into a ready position. A strong breeze whipped around the blue-haired kunoichi and some white flower petals whirled on the wind as well. Hinata stared at them but started violently as the first kunai hissed toward her.

"Never take your eyes off the enemy! You could be dead in a second. Pay attention, I won't be stopping!" Sakura shouted as she jumped into the air and let off a barrage of shruiken and kunai that streaked through the air towards Hinata.

Hinata narrowed her eyes and stared at the white and black shapes that appeared in her Byakugan-enhanced vision. Weaving and ducking through the glinting projectiles, she realized that Sakura had left large gaps for her to dodge through on purpose. As she spun through her last stance, her eyes widened as Sakura appeared a mere two feet away from her and launched twenty whirling baseballs in a mere twenty seconds that blocked off any attempt of outrunning them.

Hinata gritted her teeth and did her best to avoid them, letting some spin off her fists as she protected her face with her crossed arms. However, one baseball smashed into her forehead and four others hit her stomach and ribs as her legs, heavy with Lee's weights, slowed her. Hinata gasped as the air whooshed out of her lungs and spun dizzily as she saw a starburst of white. In her Byakugan vision, she saw Sakura throw bags of flour that smoked and caught on fire as they hissed towards her.

Two exploded right at her feet and threw her backwards and she landed hard on her back. _If this is Sakura-chan's idea of easy, I don't want to see her hard version!_ Hinata thought clumsily as she struggled to her feet to try and avoid another volley of baseballs and shruiken.

Coming home, Hinata groaned and swayed, bruises blooming spectacularly against her pale face. She put a hand against her aching ribs and tried healing her bruises there. It worked to a degree.

Hinata pushed open the sliding door to the Hyuga household, pausing to admire the feathery shapes of the bamboo leaves against the fiery orange sky. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned around and stared into the cool white eyes of her father. She bowed respectively as her father's eyes appraised the bruises on her face, and the sweat that matted down her normally shiny hair.

"Been busy Hinata?" he asked.

"Yes, Oto-sama." Hinata replied quietly, eyes lowered. Her father cleared her throat awkwardly and walked off, his feet creaking against the smooth floorboards. Hinata saw her little sister staring at her with pale, lilac eyes, the red sun glinting against her long brown hair. She felt a stab of remorse, with all the training that she had been doing, she hadn't been mending her relationship with Hanabi as well as she would've liked.

"Hanabi-chan! How was the Academy today?" Hinata said, bending down so her face was level with her little sister's solemn face.

"It was good onesan." Hanabi replied formally, looking a little stiff.

"I'm glad to hear it imouto. What did you learn?"

"We learned about the Kyubi and the three dojutsu clans and..."

Hinata listened carefully to Hanabi's polite conversation. Inwardly, she longed to hold Hanabi in her arms again, and to murmur nonsense in her ear as she had done when Hanabi had been younger. Now, Hanabi's eyes were filled with reservation and becoming like her father's hard white eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

A cascade of orange sparks danced off the sharp tip of the kunai as it embedded deep into the bull's eye on the target. Tenten grinned, her large hazel eyes gleaming." Great shot Hinata-chan. I couldn't have done better, you're really starting to shape up."

Hinata straightened, panting slightly. Around her, the soft gold light of dawn slid through the trees into seemingly solid beams of light. The light illuminated the dark silver glitter of the various projectiles stuck in the bull's eyes of various straw dummies and stone targets.

"Thanks T-tenten-chan though I doubt that I-I could be as g-good as you. I'm c-certainly not as g-good as Neji-oniisan."

Tenten gave Hinata a firm shake of the shoulders, her brown hair buns glowing amber in the dawn light." Don't talk like that Hinata-chan! Trust me, you're just as good as Neji-kun now, I've watched your training improve and Lee-kun thinks you've become much faster and stronger now."

"R-really?" Hinata asked doubtfully.

"Hinata-chan, kunoichi can be just as strong as male shinobi. I have faith in you; your Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven is just about as good as Neji-kun's.

"If you s-say so." Hinata murmured.

Tenten rolled her eyes.

"D-do you th-think I'm ready then?"

"Of course!" Tenten replied promptly.

"O-okay. I'll tell you when it's time then. But if i-it's not too much tr-rouble, could you f-fight a real m-match with me now? I'll only use weapons."

Tenten smiled, unslinging the large scroll from her back. "Ok, but I'm not holding back so brace yourself, the weapons are going to be sharp!"

Hinata spun a kunai from her pouch into her hand and bent into her ready position as Tenten dug her hands into the pouches by her waist. The brown-haired kunoichi noted the usual gentle look was gone from Hinata's face as she readied her self.

The strained tension snapped as Tenten sprinted forward, three kunai in each hand and jumped up, throwing the kunai down at an angle. Hinata, with her Byakugan activated, whipped a three shruiken from her own pouch and threw them at the oncoming kunai with one hand. She then dropped the kunai she had been holding and formed several hand seals.

"Haaahhhh! The shruiken shimmered blue and they spun, each knocking out one kunai as they hissed through the early-morning sunshine.

"That's not enough!" Tenten shouted as the other three kunai arced towards Hinata's face. However, the shruiken, still glowing blue, raced around in a zigzag and knocked the kunai down. Tenten was dumbfounded. _A new jutsu? I didn't see any chakra strings and they flew smoother than weapons on chakra strings! _Tenten didn't have time to keep wondering for Hinata streaked towards her as fast as a shadow and just as silent. Tenten, flipped backwards as the kunai, with twenty others, that she had just thrown flew towards her.

Summoning out forty kunai attached to a chakra string, Tenten began to rotate and the stringed kunai spun into a deadly, spinning wall that deflected the oncoming kunai. Hinata jumped up and angled her explosive kunai down into the middle of the whirlwind. _Why is Tenten-chan going to such drastic measures to avoid my kunai?_

As the tag exploded, Hinata saw the limp form of Tenten poof into a burned log._ Substitution jutsu!_ Hinata thought with horror as the forty kunai that had fallen to the ground raced towards her like a deadly tail._ Damn!_ Hinata's hands became blurs as she threw off dozens of shruiken and kunai into the bristling line of projectiles. Her flexible body automatically bent and twisted through the kunai as Hinata remembered the evasion training from Sakura.

Whipping around, she felt a heavy blow on her cheek that ploughed her backwards into a tree. Coughing, she opened her eyes and saw Tenten running towards her with a spiked mace dangling in one of her hands. Hinata ducked as the mace ball whistled over her head and she threw a disc attached to a string at Tenten's feet, hoping to trip her.

Tenten, marveling at Hinata's heightened aim and speed, somersaulted backwards as the disc missed her by inches. She threw her mace at the crouched Hinata but to her shock, the mace buried itself into the tree as the shadow clone of Hinata poofed away. She turned as an explosive kunai landed at her feet. As she covered her face, the explosion flung her backwards onto the ground. Hinata, with a small smile on her face, straightened up with blood running down a scratch on her cheek from one of Tenten's kunai.

Tenten pretended to lay still, barely twitched her finger as s host of metal scythes that she had summoned prior cut through the air towards Hinata. All was silent in the forest glade as the scythes flew forward. The rising sun emerged over the edge of the trees and painted Hinata's face a pale gold as the scythes whirred silently over the grassy ground.

Hinata's Byakugan informed her of the metal scythes and she turned around, pulling a long chain from her pouch and performed several quick hand seal. _Sixty-Four Linked Circle Imprisonment Jutsu!_ The chain elongated into a length of sixty four feet and glowed blue, like the shruiken before, as it snaked around the scythe and pulled them tight together. Hinata leaped forward, drawing another kunai from her pouch just as Tenten did the same. The two kunoichi collided with a loud clang and a shower of golden sparks.

Tenten gritted her teeth as she was pushed back by the raw strength from Hinata. She pulled back and the two kunoichi became black blurs as they fenced with the tips of their kunai. The sounds of the metal striking together echoed through the trees and flashes of gold fire marked their fight. Hinata sustained a cut on the arm and on her leg. Quickly, Tenten fished out a special chain and jumped back and threw it at Hinata's arms, pinning them as she drove the ends of the chain into the ground. Hinata's eyes widened as she was jerked off her feet. Tenten picked up her scroll and began spinning in dizzying circles, unraveling her scroll and releasing hundreds of steel projectiles towards the ensnared Hinata."Heavenly Chain of Destruction!" _How will she escape this?_

Hinata watched as the inescapable wall of sharp points from the weapons glistened in the light of the sun. Quickly, she tried breaking the chain holding her but Tenten had created it out of chakra links so they were unbreakable, even with her new strength. Quickly, Hinata raised the edge of her foot and smashed the ground into a crater, releasing the chains. Inching her hand out, she grasped the ends of the chain and began whirling the ends.

Then the storm of weapons was upon her. Hinata dodged through the tips of the steel projectiles, using no hands. Hinata's Byakugan enabled her to strike the weapons with the chain around her with unerring aim. With difficulty, she formed more hand seals._ Sixty four Kunai: Dance of the Moon Jutsu! _The kunai emerged from her waist pouch, she had been stocking up with a learned sealing jutsu, and began to glow blue and spin in circles around her as she continued to jump and weave and knock aside the weapons. Tenten watched in amazement as the blue kunai became white with the sharp chakra blades that emerged from them. It really did look like a full, glowing moon. _She transferred her unique jutsu into the kunai?_

Tenten saw that the weapons were starting to run out so she picked up her chakra strings and prepared to draw the weapons back towards Hinata. The cold point of a kunai struck her lightly under the chin.

"I win Tenten-chan." Hinata said, standing behind her.

"What! How did you-? I thought you were trapped by my chain!" Tenten spluttered indignantly. Hinata smiled shyly.

"I-I saw you were running out of ch-chakra so I just waited until you were really l-low. Your ch-chain melted when you were low so I timed my shadow clone for that b-because I could m-make the seals."

"Brilliant!" Tenten exclaimed. At the same time, both female ninjas collapsed on the ground, their chests heaving and sweat running down their faces. Both were bruised and scratched as they stared at the field of weapons that stuck through the green grass like strange flowers.

"Oh no! I have to seal those all over again!" Tenten groaned comically, flopping back.

"Thank you, Tenten-sama for fighting me." Hinata said quietly, looking into Tenten's tired eyes as they warmed themselves in the warm rays of the sun and listened to the chirpings of the bird.

"No, it was my pleasure. You're really going to win you know that? A Hyuga defeating a long-range like me without taijutsu is almost unheard of." Tenten smiled into Hinata's face and grasped her shoulder."Believe in yourself."

How was my fight? Was it good, bad? First time I wrote an action scene and I'm afraid it's kind of corny. Please tell me if you want a real match with Sakura! Also please review and special thanks to Suzie Hyuga for her many insightful reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

Hi all, I am REALLY REALLY sorry about the delay, I had finals and now I have summer school so I didn't think about updating until now. Thank you all for continuing to read despite my slowness and thanks for the comments and favorites…you guys are great! This is a little fluffy but I wanted to give a precursor to the oncoming chapter. Thanks again and please leave a review! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Early gray light streamed through Hinata's window and illuminated Hinata's eyes with a silvery-lavender glow. Hinata's eyes were fixated on the ceiling above her bed but they flickered to her mirror where she could see her face. Slowly getting up, she walked over to her mirror and examined her face critically. There seemed to be a subtle change, but she couldn't note what it was except for a subtle different in the expression on her face. Frowning, Hinata leaned closer to her mirror for there seemed to be a shape in her eyes, a-

Hinata felt a chill on her back and whirled around and caught the glimpse of a white blur as it whipped past her window. Hinata seemed to blur in speed herself as she jumped out the window, Byakugan activated and hands ready. Nothing was outside save for the wind as it plaited her hair into silky ribbons. Disturbed, Hinata lightly sprang back through her window, landing noiselessly on the wooden boards of her room.

As had become her habit, she ghosted down the hallway of the Hyuga compound and stopped at the doorway of her sister's room. Hinata glided to where Hanabi was sleeping, her dark eyelashes fragile and delicate against the tanned skin on her face.

On a sudden whim, Hinata gently slid her hands under Hanabi's warm body and lifted her carefully into her arms. Hanabi stirred slightly, her breath fanning Hinata's face as she quietly carried out of the room to the soft grass outside where she sat down with her little sister in her lap. The sun was peeking over the village buildings like golden frown and the sky was an apricot shade.

As the amber rays struck Hanabi and illuminating her tan face and gilded her brown hair, she opened her eyes a crack and stared into Hinata's thoughtful face.

"Aneki?" Hanabi mumbled sleepily, using the term she had called Hinata when she was younger.

Hinata started and looked into Hanabi's tired face and a small smile glowed across her face.

"Yes Imouto?" Hinata asked softly, without stammering for the first time.

"What are we doing here? It's so early. I was practicing with Otousan until late last night."

"Gomen Imouto, I just wanted us to see the sunrise together like we did when we were younger. _Before you defeated me and before you became distant and cold when Otousan deemed me inferior._ Hinata added silently.

"Mmmm…" Hanabi yawned sleepily. Half-asleep, it seemed to Hinata that the formal and polite Hyuga heiress had melted away like a bad dream and the little sister who giggled as Hinata tickled her, who play-wrestled her in a nest of pillows, who had gurgled in Hinata's arms came back.

"Hinata?"

"Yeah?"

"Why can't I ever see you these days? You're always practicing or Otousan says I can't see you because I'm the heiress."

"Gomen Imouto…I'll try to be there for you more often." Hinata whispered. She had had no idea that Hanabi had wanted to see her and at the thought, she felt a little wet tickle in her eyes and cheek.

"Don't cry Aneki." Hanabi reached towards Hinata's face and traced her tears with a calloused finger." Otousan says I can't show any emotion, a shinobi must never cry must never show emotion." Hanabi sounded wistful as she traced the wetness on Hinata's face. Hinata looked at the bruises and callouses the marked Hanabi's hands and arms, result of the strict regime their father enforced. It was too much for a twelve year old to cope with. Too much.

"No, that's not true. When we feel love or fight to protect someone we care about, we're stronger not weaker because of those emotions. Someone taught me that and it has made me stronger." Hinata absent-mindedly stroked Hanabi's forehead as Naruto's words echoed around her.

"I'm going to fight Neji-onii-san tomorrow." Hinata's quiet words rang through the dawn air. Hanabi went still and slowly climbed up and sat beside Hinata, her white eyes alert and puzzled.

"Why Aneki?"

"I want to see if I'm stronger, to see if I can protect Naru-" Hinata blushed and stopped talking.

Hanabi didn't press further, she only leaned into Hinata. Hinata heard her little sister's heart beat steadily, like the flutter of butterfly wings.

"I'll be there Aneki. I know you'll win." And she flashed a smile of sincere affection at Hinata.

"Thank you Imouto…"


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello readers, again, I must apologize for my lateness in updating. I always have so much stuff to do and I didn't want to rush this chapter. I really hope this chapter has lived up to your expectations. Please enjoy!_

Hinata sat brooding on a sturdy branch in the Hallway of White Trees, as she called it. White petals floated past her as the trees swayed and bent quietly. Hinata's arms were wrapped protectively around her knees and her eyes were brimming with tears as they stared blankly into the white moon.

"Okaasan..Where are you? Come watch my match with Neji-oniisan tomorrow, please...Okaasan..." Hinata buried her face in her arms trembling while white petals continued to swirl around her. _Am I strong enough? Okaasan? Am I strong enough? Please answer..._ _Scenes ran through the kunoichi's head as tears gently dripped from her white cheeks. "Once a failure, always a failure. That is your fate." Neji's voice snarled at her as she stared at his hate-filled eyes with terror." Hinata, get out of my sight, you are no longer the heiress. The Hyuga clan cannot be led by a weakling who taints its name." Otousan said coolly and without emotion. The Lightning ninja greedily grabbed at her as she tried to fight resulting in Hizashi's death. She watched the Hyuga elders filing into the meeting room, praising Hanabi's strength while she sat hidden behind the sliding door, watching the warm play of lights over the rice paper and listening to the whispers about the weak heiress._ "Hinata..." She felt a soft hand cup her cheek and two voices echo through the flowery branches. "Okaasan...Naruto-kun..." Hinata whispered, her silver eyes emerging from her knees.

The sun was just approaching its noon position and it shone harshly with a brilliant white light. The hot sunshine illuminated the nearly empty stadium swirling with dust devils. Sitting in the shaded stadium seats were five people who softly chattered amongst themselves, their careless conversations doing little to hide their impatience.

"Why'd you ask me to watch Hinata-san's match?" Ino asked Sakura irritably." I could be doing better things than watching a hopeless match." Ino impatiently flipped her blond bangs out of her eyes. "I was under the impression you wanted to come and see the 'hottie' Neji-san, stupid pig-girl." Sakura replied coolly, a challenging stare in her emerald eyes. "I wanted to see Neji-kun, not a match billboard brow!" Kiba rolled his eyes and blew out a gusty sigh as the two girls bashed heads, growling fearsomely while Akamaru watched with interest." And the bickering starts again. Why am I not surprised?" He glanced at Shino who, as always, had his eyes hidden behind dark glasses and his face covered by a hood." Why do you think Hinata-chan wants a rematch with Neji-san? I think she's improved but she's pushing herself too hard. Remember how she nearly died in the last match?"

Before Shino could emerge from his hood and reply, Tenten butted in and said," Are you saying kunoichi aren't as powerful as male shinobi? Well you got it wrong pal! Hinata-chan definitely stands a chance." She glared at Kiba, fueled by annoyance and the hot sun.

"Hey, Shikamaru's the sexist one, not me. I'm just saying that I don't want to see Hinata-chan to get hurt or see her dreams crushed." Tenten quieted down, understanding and she, along with Kiba, stared at the shimmering heat waves that curled around the walls. Akamaru whimpered slightly, his chestnut ears drooping.

"Why don't you two have a little faith in her hmm?" Shino said quietly, voice muffled by his cream hood. Tenten and Kiba looked at Shino quizzically." Tenten-san, you must have seen Hinata's improvement with weaponry. Sakura-san has told me Hinata has improved her evasion skills as well." Shino drew back into his hood, his expression grim and forbidding.

They all jumped as two green and orange blurs streaked through the stadium in a plume of dust and coalesced into the laughing Guy and Lee. Another poof and Kurenai was standing besides them shaking her head." I told you guys to be more dignified. This is Hinata chan's match we're watching."

Lee sobered," Yes, today is the day a failure will defeat a genius through hard work. I know she's taken off her leg weights." He stood up, fist in the air and began to pump it up and down," Go Hinata-saaaannnn!" he bellowed.

"Shut up baka, they're coming!" Tenten hissed, whacking Lee on the head. She heard a small giggle and turned around to stare into the silvery eyes if Hanabi. She stared at the two approaching figures eagerly, her body language discouraging conversation. They all sat down except for Guy and Kurenai, they leaned against the wall of the stadium and watched avidly as three figures emerged from the front entrance. Shikamaru jumped into the middle of the stadium and then looked right and left with narrowed eyes.

"The two contestants, Neji Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga have each agreed to fight until the other cannot stand." Shikamaru said coolly. He stepped back as Neji and Hinata walked forward and got into their ready positions. Ino, Sakura, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru, Lee, Tenten and the two jounins leaned forward in anticipation.

"Begin!"

The two Hyugas stared at each other intently while circling in strained thought, _if I can defeat Neji, I can become truly strong and protect Naruto-kun_. _Everyone, thank you for coming to watch._" Neji-neesan, thank you for fighting me today. I hope we both do our best." Hinata said sincerely as she pulled her forehead protector from where it was coiled on her neck. She raised it to her forehead and tied the ends securely around the back of her head.

Neji stared into Hinata's lavender eyes. _She's changed, I can see it in her eyes. I should be careful and fight her seriously._

Then he jerked back into a defensive position as Hinata raced forward aggressively, her indigo hair hair streaming out like a silk scarf. They clashed and streams of blue chakra swirled around them as they punched and blocked with resounding bangs. The watchers leaned forward in wonderment as the duo's fists sped up into blurs.

"It's amazing." Guy said in wonderment." She's on par with Neji's Gentle Fist if not more."

Neji gritted his teeth as he felt himself being driven back by the raw force that resounded in each of Hinata's strikes. _How did she become so strong? I can't let a single tenketsu get hit or that might be it. _He was having a hard time hitting his cousin for her evasion skills had improved greatly but he soon saw in opening as he blocked a punch from Hinata as hard as he could and her balance tilted slightly to her right. His two fingers a blur, he struck at the tenketsu points on her arm the same way he had in their previous match.

Time slowed for Hinata as she saw Neji's fingers aimed precisely towards the tenketsu points on her arm. Dropping down into a crouch, she swept her leg at Neji's, hoping to trip him. Neji jumped backwards and as Hinata jumped upright he thrust his palm forward towards her midsection." Palm Bottom!"

Hinata was blown backwards but she managed to roll upright panting with pain as she clutched the struck area. _I have to be careful with Neji-neesan, he has a strong Byakugan and Gentle Fist and a lot of speed_. To her dismay, she was paralyzed now and she saw Neji running forward with a fist cocked back and in her Byakugan vision she saw his fist glowing blue with chakra.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm! It's over!" Neji shouted. Hinata tensed. _Come on! COME ON! _Trembling she brought her palm back.

"Not yet! Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" The colossal force of the two air shells forced the two Hyugas backwards as dust and other grit swirled into a huge cloud around the area where the two jutsus had collided. Kurenai's red eyes widened." Her jutsu is on par with Neji's!" The other members of the audience leaned forward intently, trying to peer through the dust.

Hinata leaned over, bracing her arms on her legs, drops of sweat dripping from her face. _Too close!_ She raced forward through the dust cloud, the legs feeling light without the customary leg weights.

Neji shaded his eyes as he tried to see through the dust that blocked his Byakugan. _I didn't expect her to recover that quickly._ His eyes widened as six black points shredded through the dust cloud, their tips glowing with chakra."What!"

"Eight Trigrams Palm Revolving Heaven!" The kunai glanced off the spinning chakra shield. But as they spun away, they whipped around aimed at his face. He bent backwards, twisting as one glanced off his forehead protector. _What was that jutsu! _As Neji stood back upright he saw Hinata running through the dust cloud with a glowing palm. He spun around her in a blur and struck her back hard sending her sprawling.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" He spun on a glowing green yin-yang with Hinata at the edge. His fingers became deadly streaks as he struck the many tenketsu points on her body. Hinata yelled in pain as her body vibrated with the force of Neji's jutsu. Neji quickly jumped away hands ready as Hinata fell over with a hollow thud and poofed into a log. _What? _

"Substitution!" Tenten hissed from her view from the stands.

Hinata emerged from the thinning dust cloud, two blue lion heads shimmering on her hands. "Haaaaa!" Caught unaware, Neji tried to twist backwards but Hinata first punch landed squarely on his chest sending him skidding and flipping backwards. "Haaaaaaa!" Hinata leapt forward and shot an eye-blurring barrage of punches at Neji as he picked himself up. Neji ducked and circled, guiding her arms away, knowing better than to try to block the chakra lion heads.

_He's too fast, he's keeping up with me!_ Hinata thought frantically. _I have to speed up!_ Lee and Kurenai held his breath in wonder as Hinata's fists became nothing but blue ribbons of chakra. _Hinata...this may truly be the day you defeat Neji. What amazing progress you have made in taijutsu...you are certainly not the scared little girl anymore._ Kurenai thought with pride as she stared into her former pupil's ferocious expression. Neji took three blows to his legs and solar plexus and felt himself weakening. He thrust out his palms, feeling his cousin slowing down from exhaustion.

"Eight Trigrams Palm Revolving Heaven!" Hinata was thrown high into the air by the force of the spinning shield. "Gentle Fist Mountain Crusher!" He aimed his chakra at Hinata's figure in the air and she was thrown against the ground so hard a crater opened. Neji panted, Byakugan deactivated from tiredness, slowly walking forwards cautiously as he approached Hinata's smoking, inert form. Shikamaru also stepped forward to see if the match was over and stared down at Hinata. Tenten and Sakura held their breath as did Kiba.

" Is she...?" Kiba asked tentatively. Shino answered with a frown while Hanabi stared intently at her sister. _Come on Hinata! You're not done yet!_

"I declare this match won by-" Shikamaru stopped talking as Hinata's eyes snapped open, hard and furious.

"I'm...not...done yet...!" She gasped out. Trembling with the effort and pain, she stood up right." I'll never give up, believe it!" Hinata smiled crookedly at Neji, a drip of blood running from her mouth.

Ino smiled," She's got some spunk. I think Naruto's rubbing off on her."

"Too right you are." Sakura said. _That's right, Hinata-chan loves Naruto-kun...She won't let herself be beaten._

Neji, shocked, charged forward at Hinata and once more they engaged in a Gentle Fist duel with Hinata gaining the upper hand slightly. Neji leapt away with Hinata following as they wove across the cracked ground, streams of chakra flowing from their pounding hands. Hanabi held her breath as the rest of the watchers leaned forward to watch the Hyugas struggling bodies and their last effort.

Hinata noticed an opening and struck hard with her palm, striking chakra at tenketsu she saw. Neji winced and shifted slightly, bringing his palm forward to guide Hinata's palm off course, his fingers ready to dive into a pressure point.

Sensing this Hinata formed a succession of hand seals." Eight Trigrams Revolving Heavenly Protection!" She began to spin, her hands moving faster and faster in a circle around her. White ribbons of chakra began to thicken and swirl around her so that her only glimpses of her spinning pale face could be scene. Neji jumped back. _What is this jutsu?_

"What is this?" Kiba asked, unnerved by the sight.

The spinning tendrils stretched towards Neji who kept moving, trying to keep distance but the chakra strands kept hitting him as they spun, blocking any attempt to get in range for Gentle Fist and unbalancing him as well as causing damage. _Damn it! I can't get in range and this jutsu will trip me or cause serious harm if I let it touch me for extended periods of time. _Neji thought desperately.

"The ultimate defensive jutsu..." Shino murmured softly.

Neji dodging and weaving avoided the majority but then tripped as a spinning chakra strand whipped across his legs. This was all Hinata needed. Forming another set of hand seals, the chakra strands dissipated as she shouted," Eight Heavenly Twin Moon Palms!"

Two white balls of chakra shimmered in her hands as she attacked Neji, hitting him eight times with the white orbs of chakra. Pulses of white light marked the entrance of the chakra as they disappeared each time Hinata struck him and then regenerated. Neji saw the chakra bled into him, stopping all his tenketsu and pressure points.

Neji's last thought before he blacked out was, _amazing...she fought on par with me. I thought I swore I would never be beaten again but Hinata-sama..._

Hinata collapsed to the ground shakily amid the cheers that rang from the stadium.

"I declare Hinata Hyuga the winner of this match." Shikamaru said, amusement in his face.

"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Lee bellowed.

"I didn't think she could do it..." Kiba said awestruck to Shino. Akamaru barked in agreement while Shino gave a rare smile.

"Two new jutsus? I can't believe that girl!" Ino pouted. Sakura was already jumping down to assist with Neji.

"I'll take him Hinata-chan. You deserve a break." Sakura was surprised to feel Hinata grip her arm.

"Thank you...Sakura-chan...Everyone...I was only able to get where I was with your help."' Hinata whispered weakly. Hinata stared into Hanabi's silver eyes that were warm and approving. _Thank you Imouto...you gave me the strength to go on.._ Then, without warning, she started to cry. _I can do it. I can become stronger..._Hinata felt her old mentor hug her gently.

"Well done Hinata-chan."

_Was it good bad? I would really like to know. Please review_


	8. Chapter 8

"Neji…Neji…" Neji Hyuga opened his eyes and found himself floating in darkness. _Where am I?_ A golden spiral flowered around him and he saw a young child with wide white eyes and an unmarked forehead standing before him. _Is that me?_

The young Neji stared solemnly up at a figure with long brown hair and a shadowed face. "Neji…it's the duty of the Branch Family to protect the Main Family…"

"Hui, Otou-sama!" The younger Neji said cheerfully.

The older Neji began to run forward. "Otou-sama, wait, Otou-sama!" Hizashi Hyuga began to walk forward with the young Neji as the older Neji reached out with his hand towards their retreating figures. "Otou-sama!"

"Neji, did I ever tell you of the Kyūkyoku no Byakugan?"

"Kyūkyoku no Byakugan?" The young Neji repeated curiously.

"This is one of the clan's most guarded secrets from Konoha. It is said every few generations that this rare kekkai genkai is passed down to a single Byakugan user. Our great-great grandfather was a Kyūkyoku user."

"Wow…" The young Neji seemed overwhelmed." What does Kyūkyoku no Byakugan let the user do?"

"Another time Neji. I believe that you may be the next user." The older Neji saw his father turn his face away and saw the bitterness steal over it." If only we were not bound with the cursed seal, my son could flower like the genius he is."

"What was that Otou-sama?" Young Neji asked innocently.

"Nothing." They resumed walking through the darkness.

The blackness swirled around them and their figures shimmered." Otou….sama…" Neji whispered faintly, collapsing to his knees while tears dripped off his face and landed in the darkness beneath him. He didn't know how long he stayed in that position, but after awhile, a beautiful lavender mist wrapped around him, lifting him to his feet.

Neji looked up startled into the gentle eyes and delicate face of his cousin." Hinata-sama?" He felt his anguish draining away to be replaced by a warm peaceful feeling of security as he floated away on the delicate mist.

Neji opened his eyes and found himself looking at the ruby-tinted sky through the window of the Konoha Hospital. A single white lily rested on the drawer besides him and a soft breeze blew through the open window.

"Haaaaaaaa!" Hinata was training alone again in the forest with a series of wooden dummies and targets placed at regular intervals among the trees.

Her indigo hair whipping around her face, the Hyuga kunoichi whirled around and swept a wooden dummy into the air with a kick and then struck it multiple times with her gentle fist as it rocketed backwards. Hinata likewise began to practice this particular combination; she first kicked the dummy up and struck with multiple punches until the dummy was splintered into shreds. _More! More! Faster! Faster!_

Hinata's white hands began to blur as her strikes upon the dummy got faster and faster and her kicks harder and harder.

Hinata's body went into autopilot as her mind wandered away with birds that were flying away. It had been a day since her fight with Neji and she felt nervous at the new sense of power that filled her and the fact that Neji still hadn't woken up. Yet, she could a feel another unaccustomed feeling blossoming within her heart. What was it? Hinata mused. It made her feel warm and it almost made her believe that she was worthy of the Hyuga clan.

Hinata stopped abruptly, the last shattered dummy clattering somewhere far in the woods. She knew what she felt; it was a new sense of pride and self-confidence. A gentle smile graced her delicate face.

"I beat Neji-neesan…" she whispered wonderingly." I really beat him…" Slowly, Hinata began to walk towards the waterfall that rumbled behind a copse of trees. She took off her sandals and stepped upon the silvery water and stood near the roaring spray for a moment, savoring the cool mist that tickled her cheeks. Hinata loved practicing her chakra control for it made her feel calm and meditative as she soared through the glittering droplets of water.

Concentrating her chakra, a shiny shell of water began to ripple around her, slightly dampening her cream-colored jacket. But she had learned the hard way that she shouldn't practice with her clothes off.

A smile forming on her lips again, she began to twirl through the glistening water shell and concentrated her chakra so that the water droplets followed her movements as she raised her arms. The water drops flowed along her arms like a pair of silver wings and for a moment, as she skimmed on top of the surface of the water, she felt like she was flying.

Smoothly, she moved through her Gentle Fist forms with the water swirling around and following her every move like a trail of sparkles as she concentrated her chakra.

_Naruto-kun…watch me Naruto-kun, just watch me. You won't be the only one who's stronger after you come back!_ Hinata thought of his easy smile and spiky hair as her feet swirled above the water. What about him made her so nervous?

Using her chakra, and the smooth surface of the water, she began to spin faster and faster until the water began to sharpen into thin strips and the sphere of water grew larger.

"Haaaa!" The long water needles streaked through the air and neatly sliced through the various targets she had hung among the trees.

"I did it!" Hinata exclaimed, and then she collapsed into the pool with a splash, having used too much chakra.

"Hinata! Where are you? Hinata!" Hinata heard dimly. She popped her head up and saw Kiba staring at her." What were you doing?"

"Uh…gomen! I was practicing." Hinata exclaimed, climbing out of the pool, her hair and clothing soaked and dripping with water.

"Try to practice without giving yourself a cold will you? You gotta be more careful!" Kiba said, giving her his gray jacket. Akamaru came over and gave Hinata a sloppy lick to prove Kiba's point.

"Yeah, thanks Kiba-kun." Hinata was touched by the way her teammate worried about her.

"I came to tell you, Neji's awake and he's feeling fine so they're letting him come out of the hospital in about a half hour." Kiba led his dripping teammate down the forest path back towards Konoha village.

"Really!? I think I'll go visit him now." Hinata said guiltily.

Kiba laughed." Hinata, you've been with him every three hours!"

"N-no…it's just that I didn't mean to knock him out so badly." Hinata stammered.

"Don't worry! Both of you guys knew that you were going to injure each other."

The two teammates walked back through the forest, bantering and enjoying the afternoon sunshine. Konoha village came into view and Hinata sighed in contentment at the familiar warm colors of her village. Kiba dropped Hinata off at the Konoha Hospital and then went running away with Akamaru.

"Kaa-san's making ohagi today and if I don't hurry, Nee-chan's going to eat all of it. Sayonara Hinata!" He called over his shoulder.

"Matte! Your jacket Kiba-kun!" It was no use; Kiba had already rounded a corner with Akamaru's large paws thundering on the dusty road.

Hinata sighed then entered into the cool, white waiting room where she checked in.

"I'm here to visit Hyuga Neji."

"One moment. He'll be right out." said the brown-haired medic manning the circulation desk.

After a few minutes, Neji walked out looking perfectly healthy.

"Hello Hinata-sama. Sorry to keep you waiting. Did you want something from me?"

"Hai, I wanted to know if you w-wanted to go out with me to e-eat." Hinata nervously pushed her fingers together, an old habit that resurfaced when she was anxious.

For a moment, an expression of utter surprise suffused Neji's normally calm face. He stared at Hinata's eyes as if troubled about something before remembering his manners.

"Oh…hai…Hinata-sama, that would please me greatly." Neji said slowly before smiling.

Hinata smiled back at her cousin then asked." Shall we go to Ramen Ichiraku Neji- neesan?" Neji tilted his head to the side in puzzlement.

"Why Ichiraku's Hinata-sama?

"O-oh if you don't want to go it's fine!" Hinata's face was rosy red. The confusion left Neji's face and he smiled slightly.

"No it's fine, let's go to Ichiraku's. So what have you been doing these few days?" asked Neji, directing the conversation towards safer waters. Still talking, the two Hyuga descendents left the hospital into the warm golden glow of sunset.

The streets of Konoha Village were peaceful and safe with the smells of baking sweets and fried foods and warm earth. The shop cloth fringes waved cheerfully in a gentle breeze as various people sauntered around, enjoying the last drops of sunshine.

Hinata and Neji stopped in front of a medium-sized shop with a dark blue cloth fringe emblazoned with the kanji for Ramen Ichiraku and two bright red lanterns illuminating the entrance. Two customers were already inside, a solitary young man as well as a tired-looking old man.

"Mushi mushi Hinata-chan, Neji-kun. It's been awhile since you've visited! What are your orders today?" asked the rather fat restaurant owner.

"I'll have a large ramen with pork miso." Hinata asked politely.

"Just like Naruto aren't you? That was his favorite dish!" Teuchi boomed cheerfully, the lines at the corners of his eyes wrinkling in amusement.

"H-hai…" Hinata stammered, blushing fever red again. Amused Neji tried to rescue her from the awkward moment.

"Could I have a medium katsuobushi ramen?" Neji asked.

"They'll be ready in a minute." Teuchi swiftly crossed to the back of the shop, his belly jiggling. Ayame slid up to the counter and winked at Hinata, her large onyx eyes mischievous.

"So Hinata-chan, I haven't seen Naruto-kun in a while. Do you miss him?"

Neji held in a laugh as Hinata's head practically steamed with embarrassment.

"H-h-hai…"

"I definitely miss him; he was one of our best customers. He always ate so much ramen every day; in fact, he ate five bowls to be exact." Ayame giggled.

Fortunately, Teuchi interrupted the conversation by coming out, holding two steaming porcelain bowls.

"Here you go and please enjoy."

Hinata and Neji thanked him and pulled their chopsticks apart.

"Itadakimas!"

Neji inhaled the scent of his ramen appreciatively and started to eat, the rich flavor bursting in his mouth.

He looked over at Hinata who was holding a fat naruto between her chopsticks and inspecting the red swirls upon it.

"Hinata-sama. You should eat; you've been training all day."

Hinata started and stared at Neji. "You're right, I should." She popped the naruto into her mouth and dug into her bowl of ramen, twirling the yellow noodles around her chopsticks.

"I meant to ask you, what was that jutsu you used during our match? " Neji asked curiously, sipping some broth.

"Oh…it was a variation of the sixty four palms except I concentrated my chakra so that upon contact with the chakra system, the chakra would spread and immobilize the tenketsu." Hinata explained shyly.

"Amazing." Neji said. Hinata smiled at the unexpected compliment.

The rest of the meal was spent in a content silence as Hinata and Neji slurped away at the rest of their broth.

They thanked Teuchi for excellent ramen as they paid him and then left. Outside, it was already dark and the shops had all lit their lanterns.

"Do you mind coming with me to Kiba-kun's house? I need to give him his jacket."

"That's fine with me." The two Hyugas leisurely walked down the village streets, talking again.

"Don't worry about Naruto; he can take care of himself. I think the only problem he'll face is not annoying Bee-sama." Neji said gently.

"Ya, it's not that. I'm just afraid that when he comes back, I won't have changed."

Neji was puzzled." What do you mean you won't have changed?"

"I wanted to show him that when he came back, I would be able to protect him. That I wouldn't always be hiding, that I can walk beside him." Hinata said quietly.

Neji squeezed his gentle cousin's hand." I'm sure he won't be disappointed Hinata-sama."

"Allegato, neesan." Hinata replied gratefully.

They reached the Inuzaka's compound and Hinata was glad that the lights were still on. As they stepped across into the courtyard, Kiba came running out with Akamaru following slowly.

"Hinata, Neji-kun! What're you doing here?" Hinata giggled at the sight of Akamaru for his creamy fur was covered in red bean paste and his tail was drooping.

"Oh, I came to give back your jacket. What happened to Akamaru?"

Kiba accepted the jacket from Hinata before ruefully explaining. "Akamaru loves ohagi so he tried to sneak into the kitchen to steal some. But he knocked over a tray and it fell on top of him and Kaa-san got really mad so she decided to use the ohagi as shruiken on him." Kiba rubbed his head slightly embarrassed while Akamaru sank on his belly, whimpering with the indignity of bean paste covering his ears.

Hinata laughed but then winced and bent over as pain stabbed into her eyes.

"Hinata-sama! Doshde?" Neji said sharply.

"My eyes!" Hinata collapsed onto the courtyard floor, clutching her face with both hands and writhed with pain.

"Hinata-sama! Byakugan!" Neji peered into Hinata's chakra system. He withdrew with a gasp of surprise.

"What is it!?" Kiba exclaimed, bending down and picking up his now unconscious teammate. "Wait, why does she smell so weird all of a sudden!? Did she take any medicine beforehand?" he demanded anxiously. Akamaru sniffed Hinata's face and then recoiled, growling and showed his teeth.

"What do you smell Kiba-kun?" Neji asked.

"Blood and a strange chakra!"

Neji nodded. "I saw chakra concentrated behind her eyes and her chakra is changing color!"

Kiba's eyes widened in shock as a thin trail of blood seeped from under Hinata's closed eyelids." We've got to get her to the hospital!"

The two ninjas blurred into the night as they flew towards Konoha Hospital. In the courtyard, Akamaru whined uneasily, the dark night making the bean paste appear as patches of blood.

_Hi, I hoped this chapter was worth all the wait. I'm truly sorry how long it's taken me to update but school keeps me really busy. I'll try to update as soon as possible but I can't guarantee it'll be soon. In the meantime, please review! I'd like to thank the people who have reviewed for giving me such nice and encouraging comments!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey guys, I hope you guys'll forgive me for the long wait…__ This chapter is kind of short but I'll try to update as soon as possible with a longer chapter._

"Where are we going Kaa-san?" Hinata asked softly. Hikari Hyuga turned around to look at her with a smile. Holding out her hand she beckoned to her daughter.

"Come Hinata, come with me." A lavender light swirled just ahead as it glowed upon her mother's blue hair. Hinata hesitantly rested her hand upon her mother's snow-white fingers. Hikaru pulled her forward until they had almost reached the purple light. Hinata could see a gauzy vision of a village surrounded by stone walls.

"Yamate Hinata!" Hinata whipped around as she heard the familiar voice yelling her name.

"Naruto...kun?" A yellow flash blurred forward and grabbed her other hand. Naruto's angry blue eyes stared into her own." What are you doing here? I thought you said that you would never give up! It's your nindo!"

"Naruto-kun...I..." Hinata stared into the immeasurably sad face of her mother.

"Hinata...you will find me one day...I pray that you come soon." Hikari smiled one last time and then melted into a thousand white petals.

"Kaa-san!" Hinata's searching fingers slid through the disappearing petals.

She turned around to face Naruto, tears sliding down her cheeks as Naruto hugged her, his warm arms firmly encircling her." One day Hinata, I promise we will see her." He whispered comfortingly.

Hinata froze, her familiar blush prickling her cheeks. Suddenly, she could feel a throbbing pain surging behind her eyes.

"Are you r-real Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled, then the lavender light and Naruto Uzumaki disappeared to be replaced by velvety darkness.

"She's moving! Hinata-sama!"

Hinata could feel a warm flow of chakra stemming the pain in her eyes as she tried to open them. She caught a faint fragrance of cherry blossoms as she fingered the soft bandages that swathed her eyes.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hui, hold still and let me treat your eyes." Sakura's voice was strained and tight.

After a few minutes had passed, Hinata felt Sakura lift her hands and she felt the soothing chakra disappear. By then, the pain had faded into a low ache.

"Hinata-chan, take off your bandages and open your eyes. I need to see what's wrong with them." Sakura ordered tensely. With trembling hands she unwound the cloth and then opened her eyes.

She couldn't see anything.

"I can't see anything!"

"I was afraid of that this might happen." Sakura said tiredly.

"What's happened to her!?" Two voices said at the same time. Hinata knew the voices belonged to Kiba and Neji.

"There was an intense chakra flare behind her eyes and I'm afraid it damaged some important sensory nerves and arteries." Sakura said softly as if unwilling to impart the bad news.

Hinata clenched her fingers on the white sheets of the bed, unwilling to ask the most important question. Shino Aburame asked it for her.

"Will she regain her sight?" he asked calmly. The room was tense as Sakura was silent for a moment.

"Hinata, are you in any more pain?" Sakura asked, trying to avoid the question.

"Only a little." Hinata answered truthfully." Sakura-chan, will I regain my sight?"

"No, I can't heal the damage." Sakura said ashamedly."The sensory nerves in her eyes were completely destroyed, there's nothing for me to work off of."

Hinata heard Kiba leap forward and ask worriedly," Then, what about Tsunade-sama?"

"I'll try to ask her if she can do anything." Hinata heard Sakura exit and then she slowly sat up and turned her blind eyes towards the three shinobi.

Neji was disturbed at the vapid look in his cousin's normally gentle eyes." I'm sure Tsunade-sama will be able to do something. Sakura-san is an excellent medic-nin but Tsunade-sama is legendary for her healing prowess." He said, trying to soothe Hinata.

Hinata smiled and opened her mouth but then Tsunade swept into the room, her blond pigtails bent down onto her knees before pulling Hinata's face towards her.

"Activate your Byakugan!" She commanded tersely. Hinata did as she asked but the arteries around her eyes weren't stimulated and Hinata let out a yelp of pain.

Tsunade frowned and with one hand she waved everybody out. Before they left completely, Hinata reached a hand forward towards the doorway.

"Onesan, please don't tell Otou-sama." Hinata said it without emotion but Neji could feel the raw whirlwind of emotions behind her simple statement. He paused for a moment and looked at his cousin with pity.

"Wakata, Hinata-sama." Shino and Kiba looked at him silently as they left the hospital. Outside the hospital, the three ninjas streaked away without a word. Unnoticed by the three ninjas, Hanabi slipped into the hospital, her white eyes unreadable.

_As always, please review my story. I would love some constructive criticism! Thanks again for taking the time to read my story._


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi guys, I know I haven't updated for a long time and I'm sorry about that but I just didn't have the time. That being said, please enjoy!_

Sitting in her room, Hinata slowly pulled off the soft bandages that circled her head. Afraid, she clenched her eyes shut as she was afraid of what she might see when her eyes opened.

But ever so slightly, she cracked her eyelids open inch by inch. When she looked forwards, she could see her simple furniture but it was all veiled in a gray blurriness. A soft sob forced itself from Hinata as she slid down against the smooth wall of her room. Hiashi's voice echoed through her head menacingly. _You're weak and a failure. Get out of my sight! _

_ How can I remain a Hyuga shinobi when I can no longer use the Byakugan?" _Hinata thought despairingly as she hid her face in her lap.

_"I've done all I can Hinata, but I don't know if it's enough to restore your sight let alone your Byakugan." She could hear Tsunade talking and then she heard the soft rustle of the Hokage's green robe as she bent down." I'm sorry, you may never see again."_

_ "But you're the greatest medical-nin in the world! Surely there's something you can do!" Kiba burst out angrily._

_ "I have! But damage to the eyes are extremely difficult since they are such delicate mechanisms. Add one of the Great Dojutsu to the eyes and that multiplies tenfold the difficulty to restore sight nerves." Tsunade's voice was harsh and commanding._

_ "Hokage-sama, what happened to Hinata- sama's eyes?" Neji asked calmly." I saw her chakra change color to a strange purple and Kiba-san said that her scent had changed. Sakura-san said it was a chakra flare but what caused it?" _

_ Tsunade's voice seemed resigned almost ashamed." Sakura was right in some respects. Only a chakra flare could have caused such damage to the arteries in Hinata's eyes but….I don't know what could have caused a chakra color change or a change in scent .Shizune!" Tsunade called her assistant's name._

_ "Hai!" Hinata could hear light footsteps as Shizune hurried into the room." Get the ancient archives and reference books on the Dojutsu. We're going to need to do some research!" _

_ "Hai, Tsunade-sama." _

_As Tsunade left the room, she heard Hinata's soft voice say," Arigato…Tsunade-sama." _

_Tsunade paused for a moment then said in an unusually gentle voice," Don't thank me, I don't want to lose a budding medical-nin. It's also my job to make sure the next generation of shinobi can inherit the Will of Fire." Then she left. Hinata knew her words masked the softness Tsunade felt for her people._

Hinata clenched her fists until her nails bit into her skin. _Stop crying! You can still train! Just without the Byakugan!_ Hinata pushed her back into the wall and forced herself to get up. Stumbling and with her lavender eyes squinted, she hesitantly passed the walking stick Neji had given her and into the main hallway. She listened for any sounds of her sister or her father but heard nothing.

Hinata trailed her hands against the side of the compound, feeling the smooth bumps of door frames as she walked outside. She squinted up at the sun but only saw a faint white outline. _Don't think about it! Concentrate your senses with chakra! _Hinata closed her eyes and envisioned a blue shimmer of chakra protecting her from the darkness that clouded her eyes.

She couldn't say how but her steps were more certain and she was more aware of her surroundings and the obstacles around her. Hinata could suddenly hear the chirping of faraway birds and smell the scents of cooking food. Perhaps it was one of the lingering gifts of the Byakugan.

Soon she reached the secluded forest clearing where she trained. The Hyuga was hyper-aware of the surrounding tree trunks by their wet, green smell and the feeling of coolness on her face. She smiled, all was not lost. _Some animals are naturally born blind and they still live on. I can learn how to do it too._

Hinata closed her eyes and the image of Naruto swam before her. He was farther away than he was before. _Wait for me Naruto-kun! I will not give up because of something like this! _Hinata circled a large boulder where she had stashed a large pile of wooden and stone dummies and small weights. She set them in a circle around the perimeter of the clearing.

Hinata strapped some weights around her legs and arms as she assumed the Gentle Fist position. _I won't give up! _

"Haaaaaaaa! Hinata rushed forwards and began to practice a combination of Gentle Fist movements on the stone dummy in front of her. Her arms and legs were trembling from the weights that she was wearing. Some of her punches and kicks went wide for she was unable to clearly discern the stone figure in front of her. _Concentrate your chakra in your senses! Practice your sensor abilities!_

After a few minutes, Hinata felt something click into place and in her mind's eye, a glowing green yin-yang symbol revolved around her. Hinata could see the figures of the dummies at the edges of the emerald circle.

"Haaaaaaaa!" Hinata whipped around the circle with blinding speed as she took out each successive dummy with hard palm thrusts and sweeping kicks. Three-quarters of the way through the circle, she stopped. Her arms and legs were burning from the unaccustomed pressure of the weights.

Suddenly in her mind's eye, a figure appeared, running towards her, his white robes billowing. Hinata straightened up." Oni-san?" She whispered wonderingly.

"Hinata-sama! What are you doing here? It's too dangerous for you to be wandering by yourself!" Neji Hyuga said worriedly. He stared at the shattered dummies and then at the weights on Hinata's arms and legs." What have you been doing?"

"I'm fine, I've just been training." Hinata said gently with a reassuring smile.

"Matte…how did you know it was me?" Neji asked curiously.

"I-I can't explain it…I saw you in my mind…"

"In your mind?"

"H-hai…" Hinata stammered nervously. Neji frowned thoughtfully and then took her by her arm.

"We need to get back before Hiashi-sama gets too worried." He instantly regretted his choice of words when his cousin stared down at the ground.

"I don't think Otou-sama would care if I didn't come home." Hinata murmured." He's busy training Hanabi."

"Hinata-sama…" They walked to the Hyuga compound in silence. Neji walked Hinata to her room and then wished Hinata a good day."Remember Hinata-sama, the bird who was abandoned and survived is stronger than the bird that was caged and loved."

Hinata paused and then said quietly," Arigato oni-san. I'll keep that in mind."

He walked back out of the compound, lost in thought. As he walked down the familiar streets of Konoha, he remembered his first match with Hinata.

"_You're a failure and nothing is going to change that! Your fate has already been decided on your loss to me." _He had regretted those cruel words ever since he had fought with Uzumaki Naruto. He had sounded exactly like Hiashi then. Hiashi who had destroyed Hinata's small reserve of confidence and who had nearly cast her out of the clan due to her weakness as a shinobi and heiress.

"Gomenisai, Hinata-sama." He said out loud as he remembered the fierce expressions on her face as he watched her train; as he felt her Gentle Fist blows become stronger and surer and her feet and arms more graceful.

"A failure can defeat a genius through hard work." He said, remembering Lee's stubborn nindou." Nothing can be truer than that." _I need to train more myself; I have to keep up with Hinata-sama. _Neji was wrenched from his thoughts as he saw a fat brown bird with a scroll tied to its leg circling above him." A message from the Hokage?" He said wonderingly as he opened the furled piece of paper.

"Neji, I've researched Hinata's predicament thoroughly and I have some bad news to report." The Hokage's brown eyes were tense as she leaned her chin on her steepled fingers.

"Bad news?" Neji asked calmly.

"Yes, it was no ordinary chakra flare that damaged Hinata's Byakugan. Her Byakugan was sealed by something or someone."

"What!?" Neji said incredulously.

_This chapter is a little slow but I hope you've enjoyed it! Please review and as always, constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks a lot to the Guest review who corrected my shoddy Japanese spellings!_


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